Another container vessel looses containers overboard

[John Arton]

A Maersk container ship lost 750 containers overboard in the Pacific recently. Now there are calls to reduce the deck load on these vessels and investigate if the present container lashing guidelines and regulations are adequate for vessels with deck shows up to 10 high and the dangers of parabolic rolling where rolls of up to 30-40 degrees can result.
rgds
J.A.
https://gcaptain.com/carriers-face-p...ss-in-pacific/

[Lewis McColl]

Is this bad ship design, or bad seamanship? Chasing an arrival time at all costs? Are ships masters being told by some bean counter get there at all costs.

[cappy]

Is this bad ship design, or bad seamanship? Chasing an arrival time at all costs? Are ships masters being told by some bean counter get there at all costs.

i would think in general lewis that has been mainly the order from time immemorial R 683532

[Lewis McColl]

I have seen at first hand how masters are pressured by the Office. On my last ship Ghasha the C/Eng had a a bad fall in the engine room. The poor guy missed his footing and crashed down on a piece of angle iron that went between his legs and crushed his crotch and plums. He was bleeding badly from his penis. The blood clotted in the urethra and the problem was he could not pass urine. He never told anyone for two days. It took three of us to hold him down while the Chief Officer fitted a Catheter. The Chief did get his own back though as soon as it was fitted he peed on the lot of us. The old man had been advising the office that we needed to divert to land the C/Eng all the office said was maintain your course and speed. In the end the Captain told the office he was diverting towards Vietnam to land the Chief. The Captain came down and showed us an email from the office. If you divert and we lose the berthing slot you will be relieved (Effing Arab company NGSCO) We all signed an email drafted by the Chief officer and insisted the Captain send it. If the master is relieved at the next port in Japan be advised LNG Ghasha will remain alongside until such time that a complete officer change out is completed. Had no more threats from the office. That photo I posted yesterday of me on the Bridge was with Captain Lopez the master who NGSCO threatened. Thankfully the Chief made a full recovery but was off work for 6 months. If the Chief Off had not got that catheter inserted the Chief would have died due to Kidney failure. I had a Catheter fitted on my recent stay in hospital as my urine had to be measured and tested after my blood pressure collapsed . The kidneys are the first organs to be damaged after blood flow failure.

[Ivan Cloherty]

Is this bad ship design, or bad seamanship? Chasing an arrival time at all costs? Are ships masters being told by some bean counter get there at all costs.

From the reports I've read Lewis it is more a case of bad design rather than seamanship, the bad design brought on by owners wanting the so called kudos of operating the largest carrying capacity container vessel. Apparently Naval Architects had not taken into account that long container ships can induce a particular roll phenomenen that will induce a sudden roll of 30 - 40 degrees, something those on the bridge have little control over. Until the qualifications for Naval Architects includes a couple of years seatime in some capacity they will never understand what mother nature can produce, all the mathematical modelling and tank testing time will not replicate mother nature.

It seems ironic that container vessels are losing more containers now since the IMO (Safety Committee) introduce rules in 2019 that allows vessels to reduce lashing requirements on coasting as well as ocean passages. You can imagine the forces exerted on tiers of deck containers stacked ten high when a vessel is thrust over 30 - 40 degrees to port and then the same to starboard; you don't have to be a genius.

IMO is now looking at introducing rules limiting stack height on deck depending on LOA and Beam on existing vessels, won't do the kudos much good

[John Cassels]

Think it simply a cross between haphazard loading / lashing and the fact that stowing and carraige of containers has outstripped our conceptions of lashing and securing .

[happy daze john in oz]

Another problem my dock working neighbor tells me is the loading according to ports of call.
Heavy and lightweight containers mixed both below and above deck can cause problems.
Too many heavy on top can be disasterous but as always cost is the main factor, nothing has changed.

[Steve altoft]

maersk should be charged with finding and salvaging every last one of them as who knows what they contained ,there is more than enough gets dumped in the sea without poxy shipping companies adding to it . Not forgetting massive fines and compensation

[Ivan Cloherty]

maersk should be charged with finding and salvaging every last one of them

(A) as who knows what they contained ,there is more than enough gets dumped in the sea

(B) without poxy shipping companies adding to it . Not forgetting massive fines and compensation

(A) What they contained will be on the Manifest

(B)

(i) Without the 'poxy' shipping companies, we on this site would not have anything to talk about

(ii) Without the poxy shipping companies the world would literally come to a full stop

No ship master deliberately loses cargo, nor on container vessels is he/her or his/her crew allowed to interfere with port lashing procedures although he is made ultimately made responsible. Do you honestly think that three deck mates and 8 deck crew can reasonably be expected to check 15000/20000 containers, they will do their best, but cannot fight naval architects mistakes and mother natures fury. Perhaps more in depth reading may be useful.

[happy daze john in oz]

Containers on a ship hit by heavy weather will always pose a risk.
The contents of containers just like the containers them selves can move in heavy seas.
No mater what the manifest may say who is to know if the contents match that?